Literally Lenny: July 2016

What's it about?

"A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along."- Goodreads Synopsis

My thoughts:

I was really disappointed in this book. I was really excited to read a prehistoric pride and prejudice but it was almost too much with how cheesy and predictable it was. Obviously, being a massive fan of pride and prejudice may make me prejudice towards anyone trying to replicate the story. But I just feel like this could've been so much better. I really did not like Maya. And I found their romance to be really dull and random. I mean, Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship was far from either of those things. Maybe it's just that I was expecting too much. I'm not sure. I think that Maya should have had a much larger part than she did. She was just kinda "there".

I did like when the plot started to evolve into its own story because then nothing was predictable. It actually left me guessing. But. That's where the guessing stopped. The ending was mediocre and very truncated.

However, what saved this book for me was the creativity that the author had with writing such a unique story. Whether or not it was actually historically accurate, it was a fun read just for the setting. Because honestly, when was the last time you read a YA set in a prehistoric time?

Overall, I give Ivory and Bone 3 stars.

9:40 PM No comments

What's it about?

"There’s no such thing as safe.

Kate Harker wants to be as ruthless as her father. After five years and six boarding schools, she’s finally going home to prove that she can be.

August Flynn wants to be human. But he isn’t. He’s a monster, one that can steal souls with a song. He’s one of the three most powerful monsters in a city overrun with them. His own father’s secret weapon.

Their city is divided.

Their city is crumbling.

Kate and August are the only two who see both sides, the only two who could do something.

But how do you decide to be a hero or a villain when it’s hard to tell which is which?"- Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts?

I was really impressed by this book because I had quite mediocre expectations, regardless of the hype currently surrounding this. I'm not by any means Victoria Schwab's biggest fan, but I'm also not her worst enemy. I find her books to be mediocre and entertaining at times, but nothing substantial.

This book made me reevaluate my opinion of Victoria. This book is easily her best work. Easily.

This Savage Song was so refreshing! Yes, it had the typical badass girl with family problems, and the awkward boy with a dark past (no pun intended) but Victoria evolved these characters like I've never seen her do before. I recently read A Gathering of Shadows, which I gave 3 stars, and there was only one character that I found to have a really great development throughout the story. The others were very one-dimensional, as if she only focused on that one character and no one else.

In This Savage Song you actually get to see the inner workings of each character and how their lives become intertwined. I think I also really enjoyed the futuristic setting of this book, when Victoria tends to set her books in kind of a futuristic version of the 1800s...if that makes any sense.

I can tell that Victoria really went out of her comfort zone and explored the possibilities, and let me tell you, she did really well.

Overall, I give This Savage Song 4 stars!

8:00 PM No comments

What's it about?

"Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery's vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold?

Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal.

As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts?

Finishing this book, I'm really confused about what I feel about it. I'm not sure if I enjoyed the story or found it to be too much. The writing was decent since the author was able to paint images very clearly for my mind, but I got incredibly annoyed when she kept going on and on about something as if she was just trying to use a filler! For example (no spoilers), there's one scene where the author is describing the way two figures are standing together, and it felt like an eternity for her to explain the scene.

What I did love though were the women in this book; June, Cassie, Elda, Tate, and even Lindie. Yes, each and every one had their flaws, but they also were able to learn from this and still "follow their dreams". Cheesy, yes. But what I mean is that the things that they did, were out of love for someone. Not one was selfish, regardless of what it seemed. Their characters were strong individuals. Individuals being the key word. Each was strong and very much capable without a man. They just each needed to find what was worth living for. And I admire them greatly for that. Whether or not their lives were what they had always dreamed of or not. They were never selfish.

The story was predictable for most of the novel, however, I was surprised to learn of what the true conflict was in June and Lindie's story. That in itself made the book for me. Completely out of left field, and turned the book into a completely different genre than I had originally expected.

I did not approve of the romantic relationships that occurred during both time periods, but that could just be me. I would never condone cheating, even in a fictional story. I don't like that the person that I saw as the "villain" (Jack) got a "happily ever after" and did not even suffer any consequences. And towards the end, it was almost as if the author was trying to make an excuse for why Jack was the way he was, saying it was okay because "he's better now". That just irked me because I found Jack to be an all-around terrible person. And the fact that the author can make me feel so much hatred for a character, kudos.

So. With that being said, I give June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore 3 stars.

4:39 PM No comments

What's it about?
"With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion.

But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling —and that of Kelsea’s own soul—may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out."- Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts?
This book was off to an incredibly slow start, and I was really close to marking it as "Did Not Finish" but then we met Lily Mayhew and the entire story and plot twisted upside down and exploded into amazingness. So there was Kelsey's story and then Lily's story, and we then learn how their lives are intertwined (totally crazy). Lily's character and story was my favorite part of the entire book. Her story was gripping and terrifying and I felt so many painful emotions for her. The story of Lily reminded me a lot of The Girl on the Train for some reason even though I know technically they're nothing alike. If you've read both, you might be able to understand. If not, I just sound like a crazy person. Oh well.

As for Kelsey's story: Like I said, it was very slow in the beginning, and Kelsey has always bothered me because she's just so clueless. Yes, she makes for a wonderful Queen and cares about her subjects but it's so incredibly obvious that she's just a 19 year old girl. Which, kudos to Erika Johansen for being able to capture that obnoxious teenager attitude! ha! That being said, I think Johansen did a fantastic job on the character development of Kelsey in this book. Because yes, she was an obnoxious teen throughout the entire book, but I think she eventually became selfless and realized what she had to do for her land...and I respect her for that.

The Invasion of the Tearling was impossible for me to even attempt at predicting the ending, given that the storyline is so complex. That being said, the ending was completely out of left field and definitely had jaw dropping moments. I love how Johansen tied everything together at the end, combining the two different worlds. The ending just made me beg for more because I need to know what happens!

Bottom line is: If you start it, and it seems boring and slow in the beginning, you're going to need to push through. Trust me. You will not regret it. At least keep reading until you meet Lily and then decide.

Slow beginnings that turned into a page turner. Brilliant.

Overall, I gave The Invasion of the Tearling 3.5 Stars!

7:49 PM No comments

What's it about?

"Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept from Lina for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more."

-Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, quite honestly. It is definitely the poster child for a "summer read" but I loved it anyways. It took place in Italy of course, but what I especially enjoyed was the little bits of history that the author squeezed in. I'm not a big history person, but I do love art history, so the fact that they were exploring Florence and I knew exactly where they were and what they were talking about was really cool. I'm not sure how many people are able to relate to this, but I feel that any book setting in an area that you're familiar with is instantly gripping because it is so much easier to picture everything and easier to get swept up into the storyline.

As for the writing, it was nothing significant but nothing awful as well. The character development was lacking, and the main character Lina was just that typical annoying teenager who thought the world revolved around her. The romance was cute, but I could see that from a mile away (or 4000 miles).

The storyline was very original as Lina goes on a scavenger hunt to follow her mother's footsteps 20 years later. The only thing I did not like because it was so implausible that her grandmother would send her thousands of miles away to stay with a complete stranger and to just live there indefinitely...? Makes for a good story, but not really believable!

Overall, I give Love and Gelato 4 stars!

10:38 AM No comments